I completed my PhD in the field of Mental health and Cognitive Neuroscience at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience  (IoPPN), King's College London in 2010. At King's i taught for medical school and the researcher Development unit. 

I spent some time at the University of Birmingham working on a neurology based project aiming to improve the cognitive rehabilitation of stroke patients using a technology-based rehabilitation system and investigating brain structure and function. At Birmingham, I won the Post-Doctoral Career Development Competition.

I received the European Psychiatric Association Rising Star award in 2007 and the Samuel Gershon Award from the International Society for Bipolar Disorder in 2011 in recognition of achievements in the field of Cognitive neuropsychology, neuroimaging and mental health research. 

My research and lecturing career continued at Aston University, which I joined and won the prestigious Vice Chancellor's Fellowship in 2013. At Aston, my research focused on employing advanced neuroimaging and neuroinformatics techniques to explore cognitive measures in the brain/brain based disorders, and to develop diagnostic tools. I also taught on the BSc Psychology and MSc in Cognitive neuroscience programs. 

I went on to work in Industry as a consultant working with a range of clients in finance, healthcare and education. I have held consultancy roles in the UK and UAE specialising in Organizational Development (business strategy, brand design and marketing), Leadership Development and Corporate wellness training.

At the American University in Dubai I spearheaded the development, accreditation and launch of an undergraduate psychology program. Following this, as chair of psychology at Zayed University in Dubai, I developed and launched the UAE's first MSc in Counselling psychology degree in 2023. More recently, I was Programme Director for the MSc Mental Health (Clinical) at the University of Birmingham Dubai successfully  launching the degree in 2024.

Afternoons with Helen Farmer. Helen is joined by an expert in neuroscience and mental health Dr Jigar Jogia talking about ADHD. Listen Here